• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
MENUMENU
MENUMENU
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • FlaglerLive Board of Directors
    • Comment Policy
    • Mission Statement
    • Our Values
  • Live Calendar
  • Submit Obituary
  • Submit an Event
  • Support FlaglerLive
  • Advertise on FlaglerLive (386) 503-3808
  • Search Results

FlaglerLive

No Bull, no Fluff, No Smudges

MENUMENU
  • Flagler
    • Flagler County Commission
    • Beverly Beach
    • Economic Development Council
    • Flagler History
    • Mondex/Daytona North
    • The Hammock
    • Tourist Development Council
  • Palm Coast
    • Palm Coast City Council
    • Palm Coast Crime
  • Bunnell
    • Bunnell City Commission
    • Bunnell Crime
  • Flagler Beach
    • Flagler Beach City Commission
    • Flagler Beach Crime
  • Cops/Courts
    • Circuit & County Court
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • Federal Courts
    • Flagler 911
    • Fire House
    • Flagler County Sheriff
    • Flagler Jail Bookings
    • Traffic Accidents
  • Rights & Liberties
    • Fourth Amendment
    • First Amendment
    • Privacy
    • Second Amendment
    • Seventh Amendment
    • Sixth Amendment
    • Sunshine Law
    • Third Amendment
    • Religion & Beliefs
    • Human Rights
    • Immigration
    • Labor Rights
    • 14th Amendment
    • Civil Rights
  • Schools
    • Adult Education
    • Belle Terre Elementary
    • Buddy Taylor Middle
    • Bunnell Elementary
    • Charter Schools
    • Daytona State College
    • Flagler County School Board
    • Flagler Palm Coast High School
    • Higher Education
    • Imagine School
    • Indian Trails Middle
    • Matanzas High School
    • Old Kings Elementary
    • Rymfire Elementary
    • Stetson University
    • Wadsworth Elementary
    • University of Florida/Florida State
  • Economy
    • Jobs & Unemployment
    • Business & Economy
    • Development & Sprawl
    • Leisure & Tourism
    • Local Business
    • Local Media
    • Real Estate & Development
    • Taxes
  • Commentary
    • The Conversation
    • Pierre Tristam
    • Diane Roberts
    • Guest Columns
    • Byblos
    • Editor's Blog
  • Culture
    • African American Cultural Society
    • Arts in Palm Coast & Flagler
    • Books
    • City Repertory Theatre
    • Flagler Auditorium
    • Flagler Playhouse
    • Flagler Youth Orchestra
    • Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra
    • Palm Coast Arts Foundation
    • Special Events
  • Elections 2022
    • Amendments and Referendums
    • Presidential Election
    • Campaign Finance
    • City Elections
    • Congressional
    • Constitutionals
    • Courts
    • Governor
    • Polls
    • Voting Rights
  • Florida
    • Federal Politics
    • Florida History
    • Florida Legislature
    • Florida Legislature
    • Ron DeSantis
  • Health & Society
    • Flagler County Health Department
    • Ask the Doctor Column
    • Health Care
    • Health Care Business
    • Covid-19
    • Children and Families
    • Medicaid and Medicare
    • Mental Health
    • Poverty
    • Violence
  • All Else
    • Daily Briefing
    • Americana
    • Obituaries
    • News Briefs
    • Weather and Climate
    • Wildlife

Jury Convicts Rene Laso In Smiles Bar Stabbing After Propositioning Woman; He Faces Up to 30 Years

December 15, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 7 Comments

Rene Laso in a Facebook self-portrait.

A jury on Wednesday convicted Rene Laso, a 56-year-old resident of Zachary Place in Palm Coast, on two counts of aggravated assault in the stabbing of a man and a woman at Smiles night club a year and a half ago. The incident was triggered after Laso propositioned the woman for sexual favors in exchange for $5,000.

  • grand living realty

The three-day trial took place before County Judge Andrea Totten, who usually presides over misdemeanors. Laso faces up to 30 years in prison when Totten sentences him. The sentencing date has not been scheduled. Laso had been out on bond since the incident. He was returned to the county jail, his bond revoked.




The incident took place early the morning of May 24, 2021, involving Donald Hudson and his girlfriend, P.J., an then employed at the nearby bowling alley. Laso had been harassing her at work for months, she told Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies, and in the weeks before the incident, had allegedly offered her $5,000 if she had sex with him. She declined. She ran into him at Smiles, where Hudson confronted Laso about the proposition, asking him if he’d propositioned his girlfriend. Laso twice denied that he had, but called the woman “a one hundred dollar hooker,” according to court papers.

The two men fought, P.J. tried to intervene, and Laso threatened–“I have a knife and will cut you”–before pulling out the knife and swinging. Both P.J. and Hudson were injured with stab wounds. Other patrons jumped on Laso and kept him from leaving on his motorcycle, enabling deputies to get to the scene. Laso was arrested that night.

Laso had attempted a stand-your-ground defense through his Assistant Public Defender, Spencer O’Neal. O’Neal argued that Hudson had initiated the confrontation outside the bar. After Laso first denied that he’d propositioned his girlfriend, Hudson called her to come out from the bar and asked Laso again. He again denied it, but insulted P.J. The woman then punched Laso, according to the Stand Your Ground motion. He fell to the ground and either the woman or Hudson then yanked a chain from his neck and stood over him “in a fighting stance.” Hudson, a veteran, is larger than Laso.

“In order to prevent the imminent beating, while still on the ground, from a larger opponent and an additional opponent,” the defense argued, “Laso took his knife from his waist and used it in self-defense.” Laso stabbed upwards at Hudson and P.J. P.J. was wounded in the forearm. Hudson was cut in the stomach, the back and shoulder. Laso, the defense argued, then tried run away from the couple, but Hudson and others chased him, and Hudson and P.J. threw his motorcycle to the ground.




Self-defense again played a central role in the trial. The jury could have opted to convict him on lesser charges of felony battery or misdemeanor battery, but declined to do so. The case was prosecuted by Tara Libby and Alexander Gilewicz.

The jury found Laso guilty on both aggravated battery with a deadly weapon charges. The second degree felonies carry a maximum penalty of 15 years each. Laso is not likely to face anywhere near that steep a penalty, but he is unlikely to evade some prison time when he is sentenced.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
You and your neighbors collectively read our articles about 25,000 times each day (that's not a typo) with up to 65,000 daily reads during emergencies like hurricanes. Flagler County residents rely on FlaglerLive for essential, bold and analytical journalism that cannot be found anywhere else. But we depend on your support. Please join our December fund drive! If you donate the cost of a scoop of ice cream, you will be helping us continue to provide comprehensive local news and honest, serious journalism for our community. If you can donate more or become a monthly donor, even better. Donations are tax deductible since FlaglerLive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit news organization. Donate by clicking anywhere in this box. Think of it as buying a scoop, in every sense of the term!  
All donors' identities are kept confidential and anonymous.
   

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. George Zimmerman says

    December 15, 2022 at 11:47 am

    [Comment disallowed. Please comply with our comment policy. Thank you.–FL]

    Reply
    • Aj says

      December 15, 2022 at 12:23 pm

      George Zimmerman, name sound familiar. Trayvon Martin, just thinking.

      Reply
      • Another one lost says

        December 15, 2022 at 2:10 pm

        sar·casm
        [ˈsärˌkazəm]
        NOUN
        the use of irony to mock or convey contempt:

        Reply
  2. Jimbo99 says

    December 15, 2022 at 2:15 pm

    Smile’s seems to attract this type of social interaction. Recent news was there has been a shooting there as well. From this article, sounds like the jury got this wrong. I get Laso allegedly may have made the “indecent proposal”. But he did not initiate the altercation when the other 2 approached him & physically assaulted him. The woman punched him, he was on the ground, then the BF yanked a chain off his person (the 2nd assault) and stood over him in a threatening manner. When is a 2 on 1 beat down situation not self defense ? Was there any record with FCSO of any harrassment(s) prior to the actual event. In a way this sounds like the Clearwater SYG thing back 2020, Michael Drejka case that involved a gun, only the BF/GF weren’t backing away unarmed after an assault they were instead pressing the issue. It seems SYG doesn’t apply when another physically assaults another & is unarmed, yet gets shot or stabbed, regardless of the attacked person being smaller & at a disadvantage. I can understand why the up to 30 years, the stabbings could’ve been killings. I just don’t understand when someone presses another to violence over words ? Perhaps all 3 of them probably deserve each other somehow.

    https://flaglerlive.com/183413/connor-anderson/

    Reply
    • Nicole says

      December 15, 2022 at 7:56 pm

      Yep, precisely, I’m extremely confused on how two people start a fight, technically jump the damn man, destroy and total his motor cycle yet he’s the one in jail for defending himself.

      Reply
  3. Robjr says

    December 15, 2022 at 3:57 pm

    A former cop shot and killed a man in a movie theater near Tampa all over a box of popcorn and he walked away free.
    This man was getting his butt kicked and now going to do time for defending himself.

    An appeal is in order.

    Reply
  4. C’mon man says

    December 18, 2022 at 7:13 pm

    Should have taken the plea deal.

    Reply
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents
  • grand living realty

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Advertisers

  • grand living realty
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents

Recent Comments

  • Pierre Tristam on Take Pride
  • Sherry on To Survive Poverty, Prayer Helped. But So Did Government.
  • pete on Behind the Divorce, a Bitter, Threat-Ridden Clash Between Waste Pro and Palm Coast Over Recycling Bins
  • Sherry on Take Pride
  • KS on Take Pride
  • Sherry on Take Pride
  • Mary Fusco on Take Pride
  • Nephew Of Uncle Sam on Take Pride
  • Eileen Curran-Bennett on Drag Queen Story Hour Is Not What You Think
  • Brian on Drunk Driver Allegedly Goes Nuts on Deputy After Crashing Into Hydrant
  • Pierre Tristam on Drag Queen Story Hour Is Not What You Think
  • DaleL on Its Streets Degrading, Palm Coast Looks for Electric Vehicles to Pay Their Fair Share of Road Taxes
  • Brian on Take Pride
  • oldtimer on Drunk Driver Allegedly Goes Nuts on Deputy After Crashing Into Hydrant
  • DaleL on Its Streets Degrading, Palm Coast Looks for Electric Vehicles to Pay Their Fair Share of Road Taxes
  • Pogo on The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, June 5, 2023

Log in